Manual reset valve



April 3, 1941- w. A. RAY 2.237577 MANUAL RESET VALVE Filed June 28, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l Z/lI f/T 70 (O/V7205 wax/4M 4 34K,

INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y April 8, 1941. w, RAY

MANUAL RESET VALVE Filed June 28, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mum/24 4. /Q4

'INVENTORO ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 8, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MANUAL RESET VALVE William A. Ray, Glendale, cam.

Application June 28, 1938, Serial No. 216,256

4 Claims.

My invention relates to valves for fluid control and more particularly to those of the manual reset type which employ means for interrupting fuel supply to a burner in the event that becomes extinguished, and it is a chief ob ject of my invention to provide in such a valve means for completing an electric circuit only when said burner is lighted and maintaining said circuit until the burner becomes extinguished.

Manual reset valves of the type to which my invention relates employ a valve member normally biased to closed position and electromagnetic means, including an armature movable with said valve member, for maintaining the valve in open position on actuation of the reset means. Said electromagnetic means may be supplied with current generated by a thermocouple arranged to be heated by the pilot burner, or else by a source of current controlled by a thermal responsive device, such as a contact actuating bimetallic member, subjected to the heat of the pilot burner flame. Qn extinguishment the pilot burner, the current ceases to be generated by the thermocouple, or is interruptec by the thermal responsive device, with the result that the valve closes. The electromagnetic means is so arranged that the current supplied to when the pilot burner is alight, is sufficient to hold the valve armature in contact with the core, against the force exerted by the biasing means, when it is brought to that position manually, but not sunicient to influence the armature to move from the position it is in when the valve is open.

Manual reset valves of the type described above are generally employed to supply fuel to a main burner directly. n actuation of the reset mechanism of such a valve, fuel is allowed to pass to the main burner regardless of whether the pilot burner is alight or not. If the pilot burner is not alight, the unburnt gas presents the danger or explosion when a flame is applied to light the pilot burner.

It is an object of my present invention to prevent the possibility of such conditions arising in a fuel burner control system by the provision of a novel manual reset valve for controlling iuel supplied to a pilot burner and including means for controlling a main burner valve by completing an electric circuit thereto, which means aremaintained in operative until said pilot burner is lighted. On extinguishment of the pilot burner flame, the valve operates both to close the fuel supply to the pilot burner and also simultaneously to open the electric circuit to said main valve to close same.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of Uhe following description.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a schematic view of a fuel burner control system employing a valve embodying my invention Figure 2 is a sectional vi w of a valve accordme to my invention;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the operating members of the valve shown in Fig. 2, showing said members in the position they as sume when the reset mechanism is actuated;

Figure 4 is a similar view of the members in the position maintained by them, after resetting, under energized condition of the electromagnetic means;

Figure 5 is an enlarged section aken on the line of Fig, .2; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged section taken on the line of Fig. 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral M denotes a valve body provided with an inlet l2 and an outlet $8, The partition 56 is provided with a port l5 and a valve seat it with which the valve member il cooperates to control fluid flow through the valve. The valve stem i8 is secured to the valve member ll as by the rivet l9 and carries on its upper end the armature 29 of magnetic material which is rocir. ably held thereon as by the screw Cooperating with said armature 29 is the electromagnet generally designated by the numeral 2'2 and having a core 23 and coils it which are connected by the wire 25 to the terminals 26 insulatingly mounted in a wall of the upper valve casing ill which also supports the core 28 as by the screw 28. The upper valve casing 27 is secured to the valve body H as by the screws 29 with the valve guide member 38 therebetween. A spring 3i surrounding the valve stem 38 is compressed between the valve guide 39 and a collar 32 rigidly secured to the valve stem l8 and urges the valve member ll against the valve seat it. A housing St is secured to the valve body H as by the screw 35 and to the flange of the upper valve casing 2'1 by th screw 29. Slidably mounted in a cylindrical extension 36 of housing 34 is a rod 3i provided with a button portion 38 having a flange 39. The rod 31 is guided by the plate 40, suitably secured to the housing 34. A spring 4!, compressed between plate and flange 39, urges the rod 31 upward. Rig'idly secured to the lower portion of rod 31 is the insulating disk 42 and the insulating collar E3, in which is recessed the contact ring 46. A lever member 65 is pivotally secured in an aperture 46 in an upper wall of the valve body l i as by the pin el and is provided with an end portion 48 having an aperture loosely surrounding the valve stem it. A relatively weak spring 59,-surrounding the stem 88, is compressed between the collar Q, rigidly secured to said stem, and the end portion 68 of lever 55, normally holding said end portion against the collar 32. The other end of lever $5 is provided with a forked portion 5! (Fig. 5) which carries in one end portion the contact rivet 52. insulatingly mounted thereon (Fig. 6) and having a contact head 53 cooperable with the contact ring at. The upper end portion of the rivet 52 is formed with a head 56 which normally bears against the insulating disk 64?. A rivet 55 (Fig. 5) carried in the other end portion of fork at is provided with heads to. balance the effect of the heads of the contact rivet 52 on the disk Q2 and contact ring at. The contact rivet 52 and the contact ring 36 are connected respectively by wires 56 and 51 to terminals 58 and 59, insulatingly mounted in a side wall of the housing 3%. A flexible diaphragm like member 60 is secured to lever 15 and valve body l i to seal the aperture 56 throughwhich lever 65 extends.

In Fig. 2, the valve is shown in its closed position with the valve member ll seated. The

- position taken by the valve member 57 when it is in open position is shown in broken lines 'at 6!.

In 'ig. 1, I have shown the valve of my invention applied to a fuel burner control system. Supply of fuel through the main conduit 62 to the main burner 53 is controlled by the electrically operated valve 66. Fuel from the main conduit is also supplied to the inlet E2 of my valve through the conduit 55 and passes by way of the outlet l3 and conduit 56 to the pilot burner 6?, which serves both to ignite the main burner and also to heat the thermocouple 68, which is electrically connected to the terminals of the valve by the wires 59. From the terminals 26 the thermoelectric current may flow to the electromagnet 22. A transformer iii provides power for operation of valve 643 and is connected thereto through the limit control, wires H, terminals 58 and 59, and contact members M and 53.

The operation of the valve of my present invention, when it is connected in a fuel burner system as is shown in Fig. 1, is as follows:

With the pilot burner extinguished, the valve elements assume the positions shown in Fig. 2.

. To light the pilot burner, the reset button 38 is pushed downwardly, causing the consequent pivotal movement of lever 45 to raise the valve stem I 8, thus opening the valve and permitting fuel to pass to the pilot burner 6 where it may be ignited by any suitable means. This same movement causes the armature 2!) to come in contact with the core 23 of the electromagnet. Fig. 3 shows the positions assumed by the valve elements under these conditions.

If the reset button is released immediately, the valve will return to its previous position, stopping the supply of fuel to the pilot burner. However, if the button is held in the depressed position for a short time, the thermocouple 38, which is being heated by the pilot flame, will generate suflicient current to energize the electromagnet 22 to a point at which the armature the armature on the core face in spite of minor structural misalignment, the armature is preferably loosely mounted on the valve stem as shown. .The reset button may now be released when the elements will assume the positions.

shown in Fig. 4.

Should the pilot burner be extinguished, the thermocouple will quickly cool to a point at which the thermoelectric current generated by it will be insuihcient to hold the armature against the force of the spring 3! and the valve will close.

The operation of the means controlling the main valve will now be considered. As has previously been described, the contact members ml and 53 are adapted to complete an electric circuit through the main valve, the limit control,

and the secondary of the transformer W. In Fig. 2, the contact members 5% and 53 are shown in spaced relation, opening the power circuit to the main valve. On actuation of the reset but-= ton, the contacts remain open, as is shown in Fig. 2.

If the reset button is prematurely released, before suficient power is generated by the ther= mocouple to cause the electromagnet to hold the armature, the lever 65 is returned to normal position by the spring 3! as rapidly as the reset rod moves upwardly, thus holding the contact members open throughout the movement. The button 38 and the flange 39 are preferably arranged to cooperate with the walls of the cylindrical housing 36to produce a dash-Dot effect. retarding a too rapid return of the-reset rod which might momentarily cause closing of the contacts when the reset button is released.

If the reset button is held long enough after the pilot burner is lighted to permit generation of sufiicient current to hold the armature in contact with the core, on releasing the button the elements will assume the positions shown in Fig. 4 with the contacts held together by the force of the spring 39 on the lever 35. It is obvious that this spring d9 should be weak in respect to both the reset button spring ti and also the valve spring 3! so as not to hinder the operation of either of those springs. Spring 49 is preferably arranged to have just suflicient force to hold the contact members firmly together when the elements are in the positions shown in Fig. 4. If the limit control is now in heat demand condition, the circuit to the main valve will be complete and consequently it will open to supply fuel to the main burner where it-will be ignited by the pilot burner.

Should the pilot burner become extinguished, the armature is released and the supply of fuel to the pilot burner shut off, Simultaneously, the circuit to the main valve is opened, closing the valve and the fuel supply to the main burner.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that I have provided a novel valve according to the stated objects of my invention.

My invention is not limited to the use of the thermo-couple described in connection with the particular embodiment which I have chosen by way of illustration, as it is within the scope of my invention to employ instead an external source of current controlled by a thermal responsive device actuated by the pilot burner flame.

Also, while I have described the valve of my invention as having contact means for closing a circuit to an electrically operated main valve, my invention is not so limited as other electric devices, such as, for example, a blower, might be substituted without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

And, while I have described my invention in its preferred embodiment, I wish it to be understood that modifications may be made and that no limitations on the invention are intended other than are imposed by the scope of the appended claima.

I claim as my invention:

1. A fluid control valve comprising, in combination, a valve port, a valve member cooperable with said port to control fluid flow therethrough, an armature connected to said valve member, electromagnetic means cooperable with said armature by contact therewith for holding said valve member in open position, a source of current for said electromagnetic means, means for resetting said valve member to open position and said armature into contact with said electromagnetic means, means for returning said resetting means to normal position after resetting, means associated with said resetting means for completing an electric circuit on return of said resetting means to normal position, and means for returning said valve member to closed position and for holding said circuit completing means inoperable, said last-named holding means being inefiective when said valve member is held in open position by said electromagnetic means.

2. In combination, a fuel supply conduit, an electrically operated main valve in said conduit, a main burner connected to said main valve, a pilot valve connected to said main conduit ahead of said main valve, a pilot burner connected to said pilot valve, electromagnetic means for holding said pilot valve in open position when said electromagnetic means are energized, means actuated by said pilot burner for supplying current to said electromagnetic means when the pilot burner is lighted, means for closing said pilot valve on extinction of the pilot flame, resetting means for opening said pilot valve, and contact means operable by said resetting means for completing an electric circuit to said main valve, said contact means being operable only on release of said resetting means while said pilot valve is held in open position by said electromagnetic means.

3. In combination, a fuel supply conduit, an electrically operated main valve in said conduit, a main burner connected to said main valve, a pilot valve connected to said main conduit ahead of said main valve, a pilot burner connected to said pilot valve, a thermocouple subject to the heat of said pilot burner, resetting means for opening saidpilot valve, electromagnetic means in said pilot valve and energized by said thermocouple for holding said pilot valve in open position as long as the thermocouple is heated by the pilot burner, means for closing said pilot valve on extinction of the pilot flame, and contact means operable by said resetting means for completing an electric circuit to said main valve, said contact means being operable only on release of said resetting means while said pilot valve is held in open position by said electromagnetic means.

4. In a fluid fuel burner control system, in combination, a fuel supply conduit, an electrically operated main valve in said conduit, a main burner connected to said main valve, a pilot valve connected to said main conduit ahead of said main valve and comprising a valve port and a valve member cooperable with said port to control fluid flow therethrough, an armature connected to said valve member, electromagnetic means cooperable with said armature by contact therewith for holding said valve member in open position, a pilot burner connected to said pilot valve, means actuated by said pilot burner for supplying current to said electromagnetic means when the pilot burner is lighted, means for resetting said pilot valve member to open position and said armature into contact with said electromagnetic means, means for returning said resetting means to normal position after resetting, means associated with said resetting means for completing an electric circuit to said main valve on return of said resetting means to normal position, and means for closing said pilot valve memher on extinction of the pilot flame and for holding said circuit completing means inoperable, said last-named holding means being inefiective when said pilot valve member is held in open position by said electromagne ic means.

WILLIAM A. RAY. 

